World Grain - December 2010 - 57

FEEDOPERATIONS

Attention
Qualified Readers!
Validate your FREE
subscription to World Grain.
It's easy to register by
phone, email or log on to
our website. You can then
be certain to be on top of all
the important developments
and information featured in
upcoming issues.
Call:
1-816-756-1000
E-mail:
jarnone@sosland.com
Log on:
www.world-grain.com
Notice: If this is not
your copy of
World Grain, don't
wait for the next issue
to eventually reach your
desk - call today
to see if you qualify for
your own copy.

All-Digital delivery
now available!

likely fail over time, routine maintenance
required and service schedules, and then
organizing that information.
Equally important is having an organized and secure parts/tools inventory.
Even at the KSU feed mill, tools and
parts have a tendency to "grow legs and
walk off." Restrict access to areas where
parts and tools are stored. Have procedures in place that trigger re-ordering
essential parts, and don't rely on one
person being in charge of maintenance
and parts inventory.
Having required cross-checks and
multiple signatures will help eliminate
miscommunications regarding what
parts are available and what parts need
to be ordered.
Having unnecessary parts in inventory
is expensive and it ties up needed assets.
Don't overstock parts, and when possible,
partner with nearby feed mills to share the
cost associated with having spare parts in
stock. Most feed mills have the same basic
processes and many of the parts are interchangeable between facilities.
When working with parts vendors,
be organized and negotiate for the best
price. Every piece of equipment in your
facility should have a record of replacement parts, vendors and an estimate
time to get parts delivered. This will
help identify the critical parts to have
available at all times.
PLANT SANITATION
AND PEST MANAGEMENT
I was fortunate to have had the opportunity to work under a feed mill
manager that strongly believed in the
importance of maintaining the cleanliness of the facility. I'm not sure that I
appreciated it at the time, as I was the
head broom operator, but I have since
learned the significance that sanitation
has on employee performance and feed
mill efficiency.
There are big differences in the atmosphere or working environment that exists between a clean, well managed facility versus a feed mill where employees
pay little attention to cleanliness. Poor
sanitation also seems to translate into

poor equipment maintenance as well as
poor attitudes toward safety.
Another important aspect to consider
regarding sanitation is rodent control.
Eliminating places of harborage and
food sources is essential to controlling
rodents. If not controlled, rodents can
cause an enormous amount of damage
to wiring within a control panel and other electrical systems.
Additionally, as microbiological control within feed mills becomes more important, pest management is going to be
evermore necessary.
ENERGY CONSERVATION
The recent political debate regarding
carbon emissions and global warming
has caused the feed industry to reflect
somewhat regarding our carbon footprint. All available data suggests that
feed mills don't emit more than the allowable reportable limit of greenhouse
gases (25,000 tonnes). Nonetheless, it
only makes economical sense to conserve energy.
Again, this is more an attitude than
anything else. Paying attention to the
operation of the boiler, the steam system
and the motor loads across the facility
are all critical.
The most important thing to remember
is to pay attention to details by listening,
being observant and not procrastinating
about fixing things. As with preventive
maintenance and sanitation, energy conservation is more a mindset, and that is
of the utmost importance when it comes
to managing a feed mill.
As production efficiency and food
safety become more important in the
feed industry, managers will be required
to focus more on plant maintenance,
sanitation and energy conservation,
which are all interrelated.
Leland McKinney is an associate professor in
the Department of Grain Science and Industry at
Kansas State University in Manhattan, Kansas,
U.S. He can be reached at: lelandm@k-state.edu.
We want to hear from you - Send comments and
inquiries to worldgrain@sosland.com. For reprints of
WG articles, e-mail reprints@sosland.com.

December 2010 / World Grain / www.World-Grain.com

http://www.world-grain.com http://www.World-Grain.com

World Grain - December 2010

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of World Grain - December 2010